Locked container



Oct. 1, 1963 F. MccoRMlcK ErAL 3,105,626

LocKED CONTAINER Filed Dec. 8, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS FRAN MCCORM ICK OSKA DORFMANN 8 BY% l ATT NEYS -wwe v United States Patent O M 3,105,626 LOCKED CONTANER y Frank McCormick, Piermont, NX., and Oskar Dorfmann, North Bergen, NJ., assignors to Federali Carton Corporation, North Bergen, NJ., a corporation of New York Filed Dec. 8, 1961, Ser. No. 153,035 4 Claims. (Ci. 229-33) This invention relates to improvement in containers of the type that may be locked when close and characterized by the fact that while locked the cover nevertheless is permitted limited movement without unlocking.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a carton `for 'general use =but specially adapted for packaging food products which are largerk than the vertical height of the container when finally closed at the time they are packaged, ibut which in normal course shrink to a height equal to or less than the -depth of the package, as for example doughnuts.

A more specic object of the invention is to provide a simple locking structure for a carton of this type which can -be locked while the contents are oversized and which can move to fully closed position and remain locked as the contents shrink to size or undersize.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a locking structure of this type in which the locking parts cooperate to aid in supporting stacking loads.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a container which can be set up from a single preparedblank to foim a rectangular enclosure and in which the end walls are composed of overlapping flaps which are inter-related to resist 4re-opening under vibration and the application of twisting forces to the closed container.

Still `another object is to provide interconnected end structures of this type which facilitate the introduction of tiap extensions on the cover into proper relationship when the container is closed, and Iwhich aps contribute resistance to vseparation under vibration and twisting forces. n

A liinal object of the invention is to provide containers having the overlapped end walls and locking structure referred to above, made and related so as to facilitate machine closing of the cover and engagement of the locking structure.

Other and more detailed `objects of the invention will be apparent from the following described embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings,

FIGURE 1 is an opened out view of a single piece blank from which the carton of this invention is formed;

"FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the carton erected ready for the reception of its contents, that is with the lid or cover in open position;

FIGURE 3 is a typical, transverse, cross-sectional view of the closed container looking towards the :righthand inside face of the container of FIG. 2;

FIGURE 4 is a detailed view of the locking structure of a container with the coveronly partially closed;

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 with the cover closed on -oversized contents, but with the locking parts engaged;

FIGURE 6 is a view simil-ar to FIG. 5 showing the 3,165,626 Patented Get. 1, 1963 ICC cover fully closed when the container contents have shrunk showing the locking members still in locked position and a cover supported by the front Wall of the oontainer;

FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view taken lon the line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIGURE 8 is lan inside detailed elevational view 'of the locking struct-ure with the parts in the position corresponding to their position in FIG. 5; and

FIGURE 9` is a View similar to FIG. 4 of a slightly modiied form of locking structure.

rPhe subject matter of this invention involves two important Iaspects of container construction. For descriptive purposes it will Ibe assumed that the container illustrated herein is provided for the purpose of packing freshly made doughnuts which are placed therein `so as to rest on their peripheries, that is with the doughnuts standing up in rows. For goods of this nature and particularly for doughnuts, it is characteristic of them that after they have been packed for a time they begin to cool and shrink, and having this fact in mind they are originally made in what might be termed oversize. To put it another way, the vertical height of the doughnuts when they are standing on their edges is greater than the depth of the container in which they are packaged. In due course they shrink to the point where they are of the same or lesser height than the vertical depth of the container.

Therefore, one of the features of this invention is to provide la locking structure which can be hand or machine closed and which will provide for relative movement off the cover while maintaining the locked condition. Thus as the container may be locked even though the doughnuts stand higher than the depth of the container and -will remain locked after they shrink to that or a lesser depth.

Another feature of this invention relates to the interrelationship of the extensions on the vari-ous walls of the container blank which lie in overlapped relation when the blank is erected to final position. In accordance with this invention the extensions on the cover are arranged to interleave with the extensions on the bottom and front and back walls and are interengaged therewith so as to resist separation under vibration and twisting forces.

Finally, referring again to the locked structure, as will appear later the parts thereof so cooperate that when a plurality of iilled containers are stacked to place the containers under compression, and as the contents shrink, the cover Will ultimately be supported iby the front wall of the container.

Referring to FIG. 1 the blank is generally indicated at 10. As shown by means of dotted lines, it is scored or prepared to facilitate erection of the walls by relative folding motions by means of score lines. As shown these score lines form a series of panels comprising the bottom wall 12 of the container, the cover 14, the front wall 18 and the rear wall 16. There is also defined a narrow panel 2t) which is an extension of the cover and is inserted into the container between its front wall and the contents thereof, as will appear later.

The panels 12, 14, 16 and 18 are respectively provided with integral extensions 12a and 12b, Mb and 14h, 16a and 16h and 18a and 1811. In FIGURE l the dotted lines TL are not fold lines but are tear lines. The solid lines of FIG. l are outlines defining the blanks, with the exception of the solid lines C1 and C2 which are re-entrant slits. ln addition there are slits which form the locking tab T1 on the cover extension Ztl and the locking tab T2 on the front wall 1S.

This blank may be erected into the container in the manner illustrated in FIG. 2. To do this the bottom wall extensions 12a and 12b are folded up to a right angle position and the rear and front Walls i6 and 13 are folded up to a rectangular position. During the folding up of these walls their extensions are infolded into an overlapping relation, as for example shown at lob kand 13b. These overlapped extensions overlie the adjacent bottom wall extension 2b as clearly shown in FlG. 2. The slits C1 and C2 are inter-engaged so that the front and rear wall extensions when in assembled relation are interconnected with the inner ends of the slits Cl and C2, seating on each other, as at P.

The firmness of engagement of the end wall extensions is aided by the small terminal curvature of slits C1 and C2 which cause the adjacent material of the end wall extensions 18a and 13b to be deiiected or offset as they are seated.

' When the doughnuts are placed in the box, usually in upstanding rows, the cover is closed by hand or by machine and during the closing the extensions 14a and tdb of the cover panel 14 are folded into a position so that their rounded ends move down between the overlapped extensions of the front and back walls. This is clearly shown in FEG. 3. As indicated in FIG. l, the outline of the cover extensions consists in the main of continuous edge tabs of a curved line and a straight line which meet at a re-entrant point T. When the cover is closed and these extensions move into position the rounded end of each of the cover iiaps goes behind the extensions on the front wall and the point T rests on the point P to provide a common seating as indicated at PT in FIG. 3. The straight line portions of the cover iiaps extend downwardly from the hinge point to the point PT on the outside of the rear wall extensions. The parts are proportioned so that the points T snag into position at the junction P. This relationship results from the fact that points T and P are on the radius deiining the arc A, centered at each end of the cover hinge axis. Thus the parts cooperate so as to resist separation under vibration and twisting but they are not actually interlocked.

As the cover is closed its extension 24B is righted to a right angle position with respect to the cover panel 14, so that it will pass down inside of the front wall 13, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7. When the cover gets to the right position the tab T2 is pushed inwardly so that it enters into the slit which defines the tab T1. Thus, as shown in FIGS. 5, 6, 7 and S, the tab T2 moves in between the tab Tl `and the back of the cover liap 2.0. As soon as the lower edges of the ears formed by the slits S2, see FIG. 4, pass above the top edge of the tab T1, the parts are in interlocking relation. This may require a little compresq sion on the contents of the container. As soon as the pressure is relieved the cover can spring upwardly to the position shown in FIG. 5, which is also the position shown in FlG. 8, so that the ears on the tab T2 formed by the slits S2 get behind the ears on the tab T1 formed by the slits S1 and hold the cover against further movement.

As the contents of the container shrink, the cove-r moves closer and closer to its iinal position shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, by which time the slit which formed the outline of the upper end of the tab T1 rests in the corners formed by the slits S3 in the front wall. Thus, any compression laid on the cover which is now linally closed will be transmitted to the front wall.

In passing it will be noted that the defining edges of the extensions 14a and Mb on the cover panel 14 are moved into closed container position completely outside of the multiple layer end walls, so that they cannot cut into the contents of the container.. In some containers used for this purpose these flaps move down inside of the n This cannot occur with the container ofvthis invention.

In order to unlock the container to get access to its contents, the finger is inserted under the edge of the area tabs by the tear line TL and that portion is torn up to the fold line, unlocking the container, which action can be further facilitated byV pressure at the base of the locking tab T2 if it does not easily disengage from the opening. The tearing loose of this area does not actually destroy the locking cooperation previously described, but makes it easy to disengage it by finger pressure as stated, so that when the container is again closed it will lock, but not as firmly or as good as it did originally. l

In the rnodication of FIG. 9 the locking structure diifers from that previously described in that instead of forming the tab T1, an opening O is cut in .the cover iiap Ztl, completely removing the material in tha-t area. lt will be noted, however, that the outline of the top of the opening is of the same shape as the outline of the tab T1, so that this opening cooperates with tab TZin exactly the same manner as previously` described for they structure of FIGS. l kto 8 inclusive.l When the cover of a container having the locking structure of FIG. 9 is closed the tab T2 is pushed into the opening Oy and the ears formed by the slits SZ lget behind the adjacent delining edges of the opening O. Likewise the top Vedge of the opening will rest in the corners formed by the slits S3 when the container is completely closed, that is in a position corresponding to the position of FIG. 6.

those skillediin the art that the subject matter of this invention is capable of some variation in detail, and it is preferred, therefore, that the scope of protection atlorded hereby be not limited to the illustrative ex-j n nested, a cover hingedly connected to said rear wall and extensions on said cover at each end formed with an outline -to provide a reentrant notch, each of said cover extensions nesting between the overlapped front and rear wall extensions when the cover is closed and the base of said notch engaging at the point of intersection of the related nested front and rear Wall extensions.y

2. A container comprising a single piece of iibrous Vmaterial cut and scored to facilitate erection into a closeable rectangular enclosure having a front and rea-r wall and a cover hingedly connected to the top edge of the rear Wall and having a iiap hingedly connectedto its front edge and means comprising headed tabs cut out of said front Wall and flap, one of said headed tabs having two pairs of spaced abutments, said means lockingl the cover in a substantially closed position while permitting f limited hinging movement between fully closed position front edge and means comprising a cut-out tab on said x front wall with two pairs of spaced lateral ears anda slit on said flap forming a tabfwith a pair of lateral ears, the tab on the front wall passing through theslit on said ilap so that either pair of ears on said first tab may engage the lateral ears of said second` flap, said meansY locking the cover in a substantiallyrclosed position while permitting limited hinging movement between fully closed position and a partially closed position.

4. A container comprising a single piece of iibrous may terial cut and sco-red to facilitate erection into a close-F able rectangular enclosure having a front and rear `wall From the above description it will be apparent to and a cover hingedly connected to `the ltop edge of the rear Wall and having a flap hingedly connected to its front edge and means comprising a cutout tab on said front wall with lateral ears and a slit in `said ap forming a tab with lateral ears, the tab on the front wall passing ithrough the slit on said flap so that the ears of said first tab engage in said slit, and tear lines in `said ap extending upwardly from the ends of `said slit to destroy said locking engagement when said tear lines are separated, said means locking the cover in a substantially closed position while permitting limited hinging movement between fully closed position and a partially closed position.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,081,981 Palmer Dec. 23, 1913 1,984,371 Hazard et al. Dec. 18, 1934 2,856,114 Guyer Oct. 14, 1958 2,865,549 Inman Dec. 23, 1958 2,944,724 Lelief et al. July 12, 1960 

4. A CONTAINER COMPRISING A SINGLE PIECE OF FIBROUS MATERIAL CUT AND SCORED TO FACILITATE ERECTION INTO A CLOSEABLE RECTANGULAR ENCLOSURE HAVING A FRONT AND REAR WALL AND A COVER HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO THE TOP EDGE OF THE REAR WALL AND HAVING A FLAP HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO ITS FRONT EDGE AND MEANS COMPRISING A CUTOUT TAB ON SAID FRONT WALL WITH LATERAL EARS AND A SLIT IN SAID FLAP FORMING A TAB WITH LATERAL EARS, THE TAB ON THE FRONT WALL PASSING THROUGH THE SLIT ON SAID FLAP SO THAT THE EARS OF SAID FIRST TAB ENGAGE IN SAID SLIT, AND TEAR LINES IN SAID FLAP EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM THE ENDS OF SAID SLIT TO DESTROY SAID LOCKING ENGAGEMENT WHEN SAID TEAR LINES ARE SEPARATED, SAID MEANS LOCKING THE COVER IN A SUBSTANTIALLY CLOSED POSITION WHILE PERMITTING LIMITED HINGING MOVEMENT BETWEEN FULLY CLOSED POSITION AND A PARTIALLY CLOSED POSITION. 